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Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi jokes that he expects to play North Carolina and Bill Belichick in the ACC title game
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is setting high expectations for Bill Belichick's North Carolina tenure. Narduzzi complimented Belichick's career on Wednesday at ACC media day and joked that he expected to face the Tar Heels for a spot in the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. 'I'll be shocked if he doesn't have success,' Narduzzi said of Belichick. 'I don't have a crystal ball, I'm no genius over here. He's a heck of a football coach. But it takes players and it takes coaches. It takes a program together, it takes everyone moving in the same direction … I expect them to be in the [ACC] championship game against Pitt this year.' Belichick was hired ahead of the 2025 season after North Carolina parted ways with Mack Brown. It's the first college coaching job for the former New England Patriots coach after he had spent the entirety of his career in the NFL. The Tar Heels went 6-7 in 2024 after losing their bowl game and haven't won an ACC title since 1980. Pitt, meanwhile, won the 2021 ACC title with Kenny Pickett under center. Neither team is a favorite to win the conference in 2025. Pitt started the season 7-0 — and beat North Carolina 34-24 in that stretch — but lost its last five games of the season before losing the GameAbove Sports Bowl in six overtimes to Toledo. UNC's odds to make the ACC title game are +1000 at BetMGM while Pitt's are +1600. Clemson is -175 to appear in the title game, while Miami is favored to be the Tigers' opponent at +125. The Belichick question in Narduzzi's media scrum wasn't the only one Narduzzi fielded on Wednesday. He was even asked about Belichick at the end of his main news conference and had a question back for the reporter who made the Belichick inquiry. "Is this a Pitt question, or is this a North Carolina question? Bill Belichick, one of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game," Narduzzi said. "Won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. I've enjoyed conversations with him, whether it be at Amelia Island or in Zoom calls with ACC coaches. He's a tremendous football coach, really smart. "Again, he adds a lot of flavor and excitement to the ACC. When you look at Bill Belichick coming to the Atlantic Coast Conference, it just tells you how attractive our conference is."
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hurricanes determined to ‘play for championships and win championships'
When the College Football Playoff rankings debuted last year, the Hurricanes were in an excellent position. Ranked fourth in Week 10, all Miami had to do was close the season strong. Beat Georgia Tech on the road, beat Wake Forest at home, end the season with a road win against Syracuse. Do all that, and UM would reach the ACC title game with an undefeated record, all but assuring the Hurricanes their first berth in the playoffs. Advertisement Miami could not do it. The Hurricanes lost to Georgia Tech, rebounded against Wake Forest but then lost to Syracuse, missing out on a chance at the playoffs. 'We had a chance to win every single game, but we didn't,' Miami coach Mario Cristobal said at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte on Tuesday. 'The bottom line is we didn't get it done. … Without a doubt, finishing is a mentality. Finishing is a work ethic that comes with the offseason. 'We've always invested a ton of effort in those areas, and we've invested even more this offseason, and it will be a big part of training camp, as well.' Cristobal and the Hurricanes' staff spent the offseason trying to improve the roster to get over that hump. They added former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck to replace Heisman finalist and top NFL draft pick Cam Ward. Cristobal fired defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and replaced him with former Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. Advertisement Cristobal and Hetherman brought in three new defensive assistant coaches and overhauled the secondary, which was the team's weakest point last year. 'After Week 4 last year, we took a downturn,' Cristobal said. 'We slipped defensively. I don't want to blame anybody. I always look at myself and say, 'What could I have done better?' We had some injuries that led to some schematic changes that weren't the best for our football program, so a change had to be made, and we found a guy in Corey Hetherman. It's not the fact that he was a highly coveted guy, it's the fact that he is an elite teacher and human being and a guy that does really well what we need our defense to do and to be.' Throughout the spring and now into summer, Miami's defensive players have been working on communication, which was a big issue for last year's defense. 'The biggest thing we've been emphasizing this offseason is communication,' defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor said. 'If you don't communicate, your defense is going to get just torched, right? Obviously we have a bunch of new additions, but communication is the biggest thing for us.' Advertisement Miami starts fall camp in the coming weeks, and the goal is clear: improve on last season and achieve the goals that were within reach last year. 'The next step: keep progressing and take that next step as a team so we can play for championships and win championships,' Cristobal said in an interview with ACC Network.
NBC Sports
18-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
NCAA Tournament - Creighton vs Louisville Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats
No. 9 Creighton (24-10) takes the court Thursday against No. 8 Louisville (27-7) in the first of four games in the First Round in the South Region. It is a matchup of teams who lost in their respective conference title games. Prior to Saturday night's loss to the Johnnies in the Big East Final, the Bluejays had won three in a row. Ryan Kalkbrenner leads the team nightly in scoring (19.4) and rebounding (8.8). Steven Ashworth directs the offense from the point averaging 6.8 assists per game. The Cardinals had won 11 straight prior to their loss to Duke in the ACC Title Game. Terrence Edwards Jr. leads Louisville in scoring averaging 16.6 points per game. Former Wisconsin Badger Chucky Hepburn runs the show for the Cardinals averaging 5.8 assists per game. The winner earns the right to more than likely face the No. 1 seed in the region, the Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Game details & how to watch Creighton vs. Louisville Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025 Time: 12:15PM EST Site: Rupp Arena City: Lexington, KY Network/Streaming: CBS Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates. Game odds for Creighton vs. Louisville The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of BetMGM: Odds: Creighton Bluejays (+120), Louisville Cardinals (-145) Spread: Cardinals -2.5 Total: 145.5 points Expert picks & predictions for Creighton at Louisville Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today's Bluejays & Cardinals game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on Creighton +2.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 145.5. Creighton vs. Louisville: Top betting trends and recent stats Creighton is 4-6 against the spread in their last 10 games The Game Totals in Creighton's last 10 games are 6-4 to the OVER Louisville is 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games These schools last met March 11, 1999 with Creighton defeating Louisville 62-58 If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
